Course Overview
Our New Zealand Diploma in Software Development is a 20 month curriculum structured into eight courses. The first four courses of our Diploma in Web Development and Design (Level 5) are what make up the first ten months of our 20 month Diploma in Software Development. In these four courses, you learn the foundations in software development, studying Client-side development, Server-side development, Full-stack development and Agile Development and DevOps. Then the second ten months cover specific areas such as: Application Security, Mobile Application Development, Introduction into Machine Learning and culminates in the delivery of a final Enterprise Capstone Project.
Developers Institute curriculum includes an introduction to leading-edge programming concepts, languages and applications. Our full-stack developer programme is geared towards giving you the skills you need to be a desirable candidate for top employers.
We offer a pathway to employment to all of our students and we provide support to get you a job in the tech industry.
Coursework Timeline and Content
Our software development programme spans 20 months and is organized into eight discipline-specific courses. Each of those eight courses is eight weeks long and followed by a two week term break and one week study leave.
Developers Institute’s Software Development curriculum is in line with the latest industry trends. We engage with industry partners to ensure that Developers Institute provides you with the same technologies and processes that the current tech companies use. The stack you learn during the software development course may be slightly different from what you signed up to study when you started the course. This dynamic learning environment is tailored to secure your future tech employment.*
Developers Institute students receive regular feedback on their work by participating in industry-standard practices such as testing and code reviews.
*Developers Institute reserves the right to amend the tools and tech stack to move with current industry standards.
Week 1-8
Client-Side Development
Client-side development focuses on the internet, internet protocols and the design and development of secure responsive software applications. You will learn to use HTML and CSS as well as JavaScript and ReactJS. To deepen your stack fundamentals knowledge, you will also learn tools and practices for software version control and incremental delivery. Students collaborate on the same code base in this course to work together to implement different features on the same project, using gitHub. This mirrors real-life professional practice.
Tech stack
Individual Attention in a Real-World Learning Environment
Each week you will work on projects to help contextualise your new skills. This learning approach parallels software development experiences that you will encounter in the tech industry. Class projects vary and include team-based and individual-only work. They also span different timelines from single day to weeks-long deadlines.
Dedicated instructors and teaching assistants are available throughout each study day over the entire programme to assist you with one-on-one support.
Study Remotely
With 100% remote study, you choose your study location between the hours of 9am-5pm, Monday - Friday. Each course has its own calendar and there is usually one morning and one afternoon class on each programme study day, this allows you to immerse yourself in a remote environment to prepare you for future employment.
You will connect online with your cohort, enjoying the benefits of collaborative thinking and networking. All of our students get the same experience of working together remotely.
A Day at Developers Institute
We operate on a 9am to 5pm schedule with two mandatory classes a day for students. While you must be available during those hours to attend classes, your daily flipped classroom videos remain available to watch and re-watch at any time of the day or year. Learn software development at your own pace and ask any questions during your team meetings or via one-on-one chats with instructors and teaching assistants.
Our software development course is designed to be immersive and mirror a remote environment. Like the real-world workplace, our senior team is here to guide you through the curriculum.
Instructors may organise meetings on-demand if there is a group of students who need support on a particular exercise. Students can also take part in and run their own 'standup' or 'support' meetings.
You will be required to attend all morning and after workshops. A typical day may look like:
9am
Meeting
The first meeting gives you direction for the day’s coursework. Our tech-leads introduce you to key coding concepts and guide you through interactive exercises and projects that you will work on for the day or coming week. All of our meetings and classes are mandatory.
10am
Programming Exercise
After your flipped classroom meeting, you will work on your projects. Depending on the day and week, this will be on your own or as part of a team. Here you will apply your new skills to real-world problems. Your instructors are available to help you troubleshoot each project.
1pm
Meeting
The afternoon starts with the second meeting of the day. This is a debrief of how each student is progressing and a time for questions. Depending on each day’s varying needs, instructors also use this meeting as an opportunity to deepen students’ skills relevant to current coursework.
1:30pm
Labs & Mini-Projects
The afternoon is structured for synchronous learning with your instructors available to assist you via the Slack chat. This dedicated time is for you to repeat coding concepts until they become an integrated part of your knowledge base.
5pm
Home Time
Time to call it a day, set your slack status to offline and reflect on all the skills that you have learned.
No Coursework Prerequisites Needed
This software development programme is tailored for people who want to develop the skills needed to get a job in tech. You don’t need any prior coding or software development knowledge or any tech experience. If you have a strong work ethic, enjoy learning and solving challenging problems then contact us to apply for the programme.
Entry Requirements
New Zealand Diploma in Software Development - Level 6
General Admission
There are no mandatory prerequisites for the Diploma in Software Development; however, learners enrolling are recommended to hold one of the following qualifications:
NZQA Level 5 Diploma in Information Systems
Any other IT Diploma with core subjects in Digital Technologies
Applicants must be 18 years or older
Applicants must be domiciled in New Zealand
NZ-based international students must have an appropriate level of English proficiency for the level at which they intend to study – IELTS Academic score of 6, with no band score lower than 5.5
IT Equipment
Developers Institute will loan you the equipment you need to complete your study. Including an iMac, keyboard, mouse and surge protector. Equipment will be sent to you prior to your course starting and will require a bond fee, refunded at the end of your course when equipment is returned.
Fees Free Study
If you are a New Zealand resident and you haven’t previously trained at a tertiary level for more than six months, you may be eligible for one year of fees free study with Developers Institute.
Check your eligibility here, or contact us to find out more.
Tuition Fees
For information regarding tuition fees for this programme, visit our fees page.
Important Information
This handbook includes important information pertaining to your study at Developers Institute.